cabinet style humidor cooling

joesetx said:
Well I have been lurking here for a while and after reading a lot of good threads on wine cooler conversion I bought a cheapy $99 Magic Chef at the Ooops better not.

Like a lot of guys on here have noted I found the temperature range was just not right. When the compressor came on it would chill the cigars too low and allow them to climb bak into the upper 70's before kickng in again. Also the humidity is all ove the place. When the compressor comes on the back metal surface becomes cool and moisture condenses on it. Taking moisture out of the air in the fridge-a-dor.

In order to control the temperature I used a Johnson Controls A419 temperature controller. For 50 bucks unwire or something like 60 wired it acts just like an extension cord that you plug your fridge into. When the temperature probe reads the correct temperature it will switch off the fridge. You can control the temperature of your wine cooler to within one degree of 70F. And it makes it a lot easier to get to the desired relative humidty.
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Joe - Where did you buy your controller? I can only find it for $70 and up - and that's more than I'm really willing to pay.

Does anyone know of a good way to find a replacement thermostat for the fridge? I have no problem wiring it into the circuit myself, but I'm having trouble finding a line voltage thermostat to replace the crappy one that came with my magic chef.

ANY suggestions would be appreciated
 
RcktS4 said:
Joe - Where did you buy your controller? I can only find it for $70 and up - and that's more than I'm really willing to pay.

Does anyone know of a good way to find a replacement thermostat for the fridge? I have no problem wiring it into the circuit myself, but I'm having trouble finding a line voltage thermostat to replace the crappy one that came with my magic chef.

ANY suggestions would be appreciated
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http://www.homebrewers.com/product/500326

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?ItemKey=2E816
 
poker said:
http://www.homebrewers.com/product/500326
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Veeeery Interesting!

I have looked and have been unable to find a plug in the wall thermostat.I wonder if I could use this to regulate the temperature in my office ( where I keep all my cigars ) by plugging the window air conditioner into it. Then I could set it at 66-68 degrees and just leave the probe out in the room Any body have any experience with this piece of equipment? Would love to hear from you if you do.
 
Moco, I would think it would but it would depend on the current rating on the regulator/thermostat vs. the current draw of the air conditioner. As long as the air condition draws less than the current the thermostat is rated for, it should work I would think.
 
It’s a real small unit. Cost about 100 dollars at Home Depot Im thinking that if you can plug a refrigerator into it my little air conditioner should be no problem. I'll have to get a hold of them and check out the current rating on it. Thanks for the response Poker!
 
FYI........
The Controller will drive up to a 12 amp (110 volt) refrigerator or freezer. The air conditioner is 4.8 amp so I should be good to go. :cool: Thx's again....
 
mmblz said:
Has anyone succesfully set up any of these systems?
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I have a thermoelectric cooling system\Peliter setup. That works fairly well. I do have a problem with humidity control. I believe its because of the high humidity in Texas. I can control it with a lot of humi beads (4 lbs) and 3 reticulating fans.

I would attach a picture but I am post-lexic
 
Is this mounted strictly inside the humidor or does the hole go all the way through the humidor with the outside making heat and the inside cold?
I"d hate to cut a hole in the humidor but would minding mounting one of these inside to drop the temperature a few degrees. Also does it have it's own thermostat to cycle on and off?
 
scrapiron said:
Is this mounted strictly inside the humidor or does the hole go all the way through the humidor with the outside making heat and the inside cold?
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Ditto.
Same question here.
 
I guess the answer was there for us.
Here is the description from the vendor:
"Just cut a hole in your insulated cooler box and fit an aluminum plate or heat-sink (not supplied) to this assembly to turn your cooler into a fridge for the car or boat."
 
Blueface said:
Ditto.
Same question here.
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All "PELTIER" coolers work the same way - you have to vent the hot side to the exterior so yes they all require a hole to be cut.


Ron
 
The only problems I have with my pelter cooling is the noise (sounds like a PC) and it takes a lot of beads (3 pounds) to keep the humidity down in the summer (Houston is very humid).

Capper
 
Excellent post. I've been researching peltier coolers and spent a lot of time on RGD's site looking at his project. I'm working on building something about half the size of his. In Phoenix today I think we got really close to 90 today and it's only mid-March. I cringed when I got home and saw my humidor at 78 degrees.
 
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